How Will Seattle Grow?

Seattle residents address the city's growth plan.

“That single-family teardown that has turned into a McMansion walking distance to light rail today is a hundred-year lost opportunity,” stated Seattle homeowner and urbanist Sara Maxana at a recent public hearing on amending Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan. Many more eager Seattle residents spoke in support of the plan, recognizing the need to plan for equitable growth that provides opportunities for all. Take a few moments to get to know the faces behind Seattle’s growth below. Want more? Watch the full public hearing here.

Doris Koo, principal consultant at Yesler Community Collaborative

As we grow in density, we must ensure that there’s intentional and balanced land use and zoning policies that protect those marginalized people that have been in the communities for decades.

Bryan Kirschner, Wallingford resident

Opening all Wallingford land and all Seattle land to three-flats and triplexes is a way to offer families who simply can’t afford a single-family house a place in all parts of our city. People desperately need it, so let’s aim to do it.

Sara Maxana, Ballard resident

Planning for transit-oriented development, compact, walkable housing choices within transit station areas, has been an internationally recognized best practice for decades as a necessary strategy for addressing climate change, social inequity, and many other social, environmental, and economic challenges as we grow.

Comments

R. Scott vance

July 19, 2016 at 7:31 am

Transit that connects everything to downtown isn’t what this resident wants. I’d like to be connected to my nearby neighborhood’s and local seashore, lakes, stores and parks. Turning the community I live in, into a developers dream isn’t what I want either. The place I was able to buy into has zoning I liked and that helped me make my choice. Changing that is unfair and short sighted.

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